REVEALED: This is the ‘smoky hell’ Mt Kenya TV, Iganjo FM employees are going through

When they resigned from reportedly high paying jobs from their previous positions in various media houses, the promise was real, sound and spotless.

In fact, MKN has learnt that some of them resigned from their previous highly-paying jobs ‘kimadharau’ as they were promised heaven right here on earth.

However, as some have come to learn albeit painfully, dismissing an old Safari Boot shoe that has served you through thick and thin for a new plastic, cosmetic rubber shoe, may not be all that wise.

These are none other than employees of both Mt Kenya TV and Iganjo FM which are owned by the family of Kirinyaga Woman Rep Wangui Ngirichi and her billionaire husband Andrew Ngirichi.

Andrew is a relative, some say son, of former billionaire James Kanyotu who served as Special Branch (now National Intelligence Service) boss.

Kanyotu earned his reputation and billions by and from serving the retired dictator President Daniel Arap Moi with all his soul, mind and body.

As head of Special Branch, Kanyotu, presided over the worst Human Rights abuses in Kenyan history leaving a ‘remarkable’ record which nobody is about to break any time soon.

But despite these billions of shillings acquired from only God knows where, the media house is apparently ‘struggling’ to pay its radio and TV staffs which it poached from established rivals like Royal Media Services and Mediamax Network Limited on a promise of double/triple salaries, Insurance schemes, House Mortgages among other stuffs not being reasonably offered by existing rival media houses.

Consequently, we have reliably learnt that employees working for the media house, both TV and radio, who earn earn less than Sh60,000 were last paid on 21st March 2019 while those earning above the aforementioned amount, are yet to see anything to date.

The cases of delayed salaries, we are told, is becoming a norm at this new media house which had hyped its launch as if to rival Royal Media Services, hence many staffs here are under depression, our mole reveals.

MKN has also learnt that the employees who are increasingly turning desperate, have been getting payslips with NHIF deductions which is never remitted and, therefore, when they try to use their NHIF cards in hospital they are turned away.

A case in point is one popular gospel artist, Grace Mwai, who had a short stint at Inooro TV where she used to do the Sunday Gospel show before decamping to Mt Kenya TV in the same capacity.

“She gave her NHIF card but she was surprised near death when the hospital told her that her NHIF hasn’t been paid for quite some time. It took the intervention of fellow artistes to do a fundraiser of up to Sh175,000 to settle her hospital bill,” our source who sought anonymity for fear of repercussions said on Tuesday.

We have, however, learnt that the media company intervened as soon as it learnt about the artist’s fundraiser seemingly to save face and the company’s reputation.

The Gospel artist-turn-presenter is said to be suffering from acute depression alongside another female news presenter who decamped from Kameme TV, Wangui Gathogo. She was admitted at St.Francis for two days battling depression.

The TV’s breakfast presenters made of a former bespectacled KBC TV news anchor, J. Jacob Kioria, and Wakarura Manyara alias Wakawaka, are currently on suspension after they dared to boycott work to protest delayed salaries.

This is a DEVELOPING STORY and MKN will continue to to give you more details as and when we get them.

UPDATE: The suspended two morning presenters have since been reinstated as we understand if the two went to court as they had threatened, the employer would be in hot soup as we’re told there is nothing in the employment contract that he fulfills.

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